Cheshire's National Nature Reserves

Contents

Rostherne Mere

Rostherne is the largest of the Cheshire meres and also the deepest, with the original basin having been deepened by salt subsidence.

Main habitats: open water, woodland

Features of interest

Rostherne Mere is primarily of importance for its wintering wildfowl populations, particularly pochard. Mallard, teal, pintail and shoveler are also regular visitors and in cold weather ruddy duck, gadwall and goosander often visit the site. The surrounding reed beds support a large breeding population of reed warblers and bittern is a regular visitor during the winter months. Birds of the surrounding woods include all three native woodpecker species together with tawny owl, sparrowhawk and kestrel. Scrub areas are home to reed bunting, willow warblers and whitethroat.

After being absent for many years, otter have returned to the area. The reserve supports a population of harvest mice which are uncommon in Cheshire.

The reserve supports a number of butterfly species, most notably white-letter hairstreak, purple hairstreak and common blue.

Rostherne Mere is an extremely important site for freshwater research and has been used by many local universities for several decades.

Directions

We encourage the use of sustainable transport whenever possible. The reserve is 3 miles from Knutsford, close to Tatton Park.

By cycle

Rostherne is on regional route 70 (Cheshire Cycleway) of the Sustrans National Cycle Network.

Contact

Wybunbury Moss

Wybunbury Moss NNR is situated in south Cheshire, at the centre of the ‘Meres and Mosses’ Natural Area, where it forms part of a series of peat bogs or ‘Mosses’.

Main habitats: peatland

Features of interest

Ice movement and erosion in the last Ice Age scraped a series of depressions in the landscape. Subsequent subsidence of the rocks underlying the peat-filled basin has left a raft of peat floating on an underground lake, one of only 3 known examples in the UK known to have formed in this way.

The peat raft is carpeted in sphagnum moss, along with cotton sedge, cranberry, bog rosemary, white-beaked sedge and the insect-eating sundew.

The Moss is also important for its invertebrate populations for which it is one of the most notable sites in Cheshire. A huge species list includes 2 rare spiders and a leaf beetle - Cryptocephalus decemmaculatus - which is not found anywhere else in England.

The peat raft is surrounded by reedswamp, woodland and meadows where marsh violet and heath-spotted orchid can be found.

Safety

You can’t access the central part of the Moss which is very dangerous due to soft, unstable peat. There are, however, public rights of way which circle the reserve and a concessionary path which crosses part of the peat body.

Directions

The reserve is located 4 miles south of Crewe, near to the village of Wybunbury.